Secrets of growing peas in the open field and in the greenhouse
Growing and caring for peas in the open field in the country or in a greenhouse will provide you with a tasty and healthy product and will give you a lot of pleasant impressions. And the tips outlined in our article will help you get a good harvest and grow peas in accordance with all the rules of agricultural technology.
The content of the article
Useful properties of the plant
If the taste and aroma of peas is familiar to us from childhood, then not everyone knows about its benefits.... But this is just a storehouse of vitamins and minerals!
Judge for yourself:
- in terms of the level of vegetable protein in an easily digestible form for the body, peas surpass all known vegetables, second only to soybeans and lentils;
- calorie content - 300 kcal per 100 g of product - corresponds to the average calorie content, therefore peas are recommended for people prone to overweight;
- the product will provide your cardiovascular system with zinc and magnesium, normalize blood cholesterol levels;
- the presence of potassium in the composition will improve the condition of those who suffer from puffiness;
- calcium and phosphorus, which are responsible for the condition of teeth and bones, will prevent osteoporosis;
- iodine will improve the work of the entire endocrine system;
- iron will eliminate the symptoms of anemia.
Important. 100 g of sprouted peas will provide your body with a daily dose of vitamin C.
If you adore your dacha, then you will also be pleased learn about the usefulness of this culture for all country "inhabitants":
- there is no better source of nitrogen for young fruit trees than peas planted under their crowns;
- the plant gets along well with other garden crops, for example, carrots and corn, without taking away nutrients from them in the initial period of growth;
- after harvesting, the peas leave the summer resident an area enriched with nutrients, on which any garden plants will grow in future under comfortable conditions.
Variety selection
Further we will decide on the variety that best suits your needs... Gardeners prefer shelling and sugar varieties of peas. The first one is good for subsequent canning, the second has an excellent taste and is used fresh.
Both varieties include cultures of superearly, early, main and late ripening.... So that peas are not transferred all summer in the garden, it is important not to make a mistake in choosing a variety.
More about peas:
How to properly grow seed peas
Pea planting technology
The crop yield largely depends on the preparatory stage, which includes the selection of a site for planting, seed dressing and adherence to sowing dates.
Soil preparation
Where are peas grown? Any soil is suitable, including acidic, which should be limed before planting (250 g per 1 sq. M)... The exceptions are areas with excessive nitrogen content. This culture requires moderation in everything: sunlight, but without aridity, enough moisture, but the roots should not be constantly in the water.
therefore it is not advisable to plant peas in shaded beds and in places with high groundwater levels... Thin stems also need protection from the wind. Beds along the fence or under young trees are suitable, where they will not interfere with anyone.
It is advisable to prepare a site for peas in the fall.... The plant will be greatly benefited by organic fertilizers applied to feed crops previously grown on this soil. In this case, it is enough just to dig up the ground and fertilize it with potassium salt (20 g) and superphosphate (50 g) per 1 sq. m. Saturated with the moisture of melting snow, such a place in the spring will be ideal for a new "tenant".
Important. Do not plant peas where legumes of any kind have previously grown. This will reduce the yield of the crop and negatively affect the quality of the fruit.
Seed material
Growing peas from seeds or seedlings is a matter of your choice... Both germinated and dry seeds are suitable for sowing. It is important to sort them first, rejecting sick and damaged ones.
The process will speed up if you use a saline solution (1 tablespoon of salt in 1 liter of water): healthy seeds will sink to the bottom.
In order to avoid infection of an adult plant with viral and fungal diseases, the seeds are pre-disinfected 1% potassium permanganate solution or 10% hydrogen peroxide solution for 7 minutes. The prepared material can be sown directly into the ground or germinated by wrapping it in a damp cloth.
Landing in the ground
How and when to plant pea seedsdepends on your views on the result of your labors.
At the stage of planting seeds in the ground, it is important to consider the following points:
- light frosts (down to –6 ° C) are not terrible for peas, therefore, the twentieth of April are quite suitable for this procedure;
- if you plan to harvest throughout the summer, then sowing is done several times from April to July, about 2 times a month;
- pick varieties with different ripening periods.
Sowing technology is simple... The seeds are placed to a depth of 3-5 cm in prepared grooves 15-20 cm wide, 50-60 cm apart from each other. The distance between the seeds is 4-6 cm. The sown seeds are sprinkled with earth and compacted with light pressure from above.
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Features of plant care
Understanding the steps to take will keep your peas healthy and will ultimately provide high yields.
First steps after sowing
Wait for the first shoots in a week... In advance, you need to take care of protecting the sprouts from birds. Transparencies or small-sized cage mesh will solve the problem. And a week later, the usual dacha harvest begins: loosen the ground, huddle the plants, weed out the weeds and water abundantly at least 2 times a week during the sultry period.
Important. If you are interested in getting a good harvest, gently pinch the top of the stem to allow the side shoots of the plant to grow.
Pea feeding features
Watering should be combined not only with loosening the soil and weeding, but also feeding the plant... Until the seedlings bloom, they need fertilization twice a month. A solution of nitroammofoska (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water per 1 sq. M) will provide plants with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium before watering.
In the future, this need disappears., since flowering plants independently provide themselves with everything they need, thanks to the activity of tuberous bacteria.
Important. All manipulations are best carried out in the evening or early in the morning, so that the hot sun does not burn the delicate greens if moisture gets on the leaves carelessly.
Garter bushes
Our a vegetable needs support in the truest sense of the word... Crowding during planting is not contraindicated for peas: in the future, young shoots will support each other. The culture growing nearby will become a good neighbor. For example, corn, with its dense stalk, provides support for thin, weak pea shoots.
Bushes that have reached a height of 20-25 cm need a garter... Gardeners are inventive in using the material at hand: wooden pegs, metal rods, placed along the row and connected by horizontally stretched ropes, perfectly perform the task. Pea lashes spread out on them are blown by the wind and warmed up by the sun.
Important. The contact of the stem with the ground is detrimental to the peas.
Ways to control pests and diseases
Shoot leaves curled up and jagged edges appear? Do they have necrotic spots on them? The mosaic virus has reached your vegetable.
The danger of the disease is that a diseased plant becomes a spread of infection on the site, and it is impossible to cure it. If threatening signs are found, the plant is dug up and burned, and the place of its growth is treated with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.
Peas are also susceptible to fungal diseases.... Spheroteka, or powdery mildew, ascochitosis and pea rust are the most dangerous. If a whitish loose coating in the form of a cobweb is seen on the ground parts of the plant, followed by the formation of necrotic plaques on the leaves, it means that the fungus has already begun its destructive business. Inaction will result in the death of the fruit.
Fungicides successfully deal with fungal diseases... But you can do with folk remedies. It will help twice, at intervals of a week, spraying with a solution of soda ash and grated laundry soap (40 g of each ingredient per 10 liters of water). An infusion of field thistle soaked overnight (300 g of grass per bucket of water) is another effective remedy.
A little about pests
The larvae of the moth, garden scoop, and leafworm feed on flowers, leaves and fruits of peas... The root weevil also affects the roots of the plant.
Pea aphids settle on stems, feeding on its juices. A good result in the fight against pests is brought by the treatment with a daily infusion of chopped garlic (20 g per 10 l of water). Pollination with 12% hexachlorane dust (2 g per 1 sq. M) is also effective, but less safe for humans.
Important. The best preventive measures in the fight against diseases remain seed treatment before planting and a tall pea garter.
Collection of fruits and storage of crops
You have to harvest the peas much more often than you sowed it: every 2-4 days from mid-June until the onset of a persistent autumn cold snap. In the morning coolness, holding the stem with your hand, carefully remove all ripe pods from bottom to top, trying not to damage the plant.
The bushes are completely cut off when the lower pods dry... They are tied in bunches and left to ripen in a suspended position in a dry, dark place. The tops are good for composting. Leave the roots in the ground until autumn.
Peas are perishable, so you need to consider the types of processing... Green peas are canned or frozen. Oven-dried or dried in a well-ventilated area, peas can last for years.
Important. For the regular and scrupulous collection of all ripe fruits, the plant will thank you with new flowering in August and fruiting throughout the warm autumn.
Conclusion
In order for the summer harvest to be crowned with a rich harvest of peas, we will focus on the basic rules of its cultivation. The right varieties will ensure that your supply of fresh produce continues to flow throughout the summer. For sowing, choose a dry, wind-protected area on the sunny side. Properly prepare the soil and seeds for sowing: fertilize the soil in the fall, decontaminate the seeds. Remember that when planting, peas absolutely do not tolerate fresh organic matter and excess nitrogen.
Cold resistance is one of the advantages of the culture, it is not afraid of light frosts, so you can plant it already in April in the soil dry from spring floods. Do not let the plant travel on the ground: high and timely tying is the key to the health of your peas. Act at the first sign of disease or pest attack: this will save your crop from death.